Sumner Fair's future still year-to-year, but will return in 2022
Whether or not to host a Sumner County Fair has become a year-to-year decision, but a scaled-down version of the fair will return in 2022.
The fair dates are scheduled for June 28-July 2, and it will operate as a carnival-only event for the second straight year, Sumner County Fair Association President Jimmy Moore said.
“Right now it’s a year at a time,” Moore said about the fair’s future. “I can’t tell you anything about 2023.”
The Sumner County Fair was canceled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year’s fair drew between 18,000 and 20,000 attendees, running only the carnival and did turn a profit, Moore said.
Money was saved without fair contest payouts, which Moore said helped the bottom line.
The fair association has an agreement with James Gang Amusement to operate the carnival in 2022, Moore said. James Gang Amusement out of Alabama was the carnival operator for the Sumner County Fair in 2021 for the first time.
“They run a good carnival, clean; I wish we had them a long time ago.” Moore said.
The Sumner County Fair Association, which has stockholders and a board, own and operate the fair.
A shrinking volunteer base has contributed to the fair’s uncertain future, which has led to the downsized version, Moore has said.
The fairgrounds property is about 17.5 acres on Fairgrounds Road just off Nashville Pike between Wilson Bank & Trust and Baker Motors in Gallatin.
The land has generated some interest from potential buyers.
But, right now, the fairground property is not for sale, Moore said.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Sumner County Fair's future still year-to-year, but will return in 2022
